Francisco de Figueroa
Encyclopedia
Francisco de Figueroa was a Spanish
poet best known for his love sonnet
s and his bilingual compositions in Spanish
and Italian
. Born in Alcalá de Henares
, Figueroa spent his early years in Alcala, studying under Spanish humanist
Ambrosio Morales
, and traveled to Italy
at an early age (we find him in Siena
in 1552).
For much of his life, Figueroa served as an aide to Spanish diplomats; for example, to the Spanish ambassador to France, Tomás Perrenot de Granvela (1559-61); Antonio Pimentel de Herrera, 6th Count of Benavente, Viceroy of Valencia (c. 1567); and Carlos de Aragón Tagliavia, Duke of Terranova, Prínce of Castelvetrano (1578-79).
In the late 1570s or early 1580s, Figueroa seems to have retired to Alcala. His friend Miguel de Cervantes
includes him as a character in his pastoral novel La Galatea
. Figueroa's works were published posthumously by Pedro Craesbeeck in Lisbon
in 1625.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
poet best known for his love sonnet
Sonnet
A sonnet is one of several forms of poetry that originate in Europe, mainly Provence and Italy. A sonnet commonly has 14 lines. The term "sonnet" derives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song" or "little sound"...
s and his bilingual compositions in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
. Born in Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares , meaning Citadel on the river Henares, is a Spanish city, whose historical centre is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, and one of the first bishoprics founded in Spain...
, Figueroa spent his early years in Alcala, studying under Spanish humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
Ambrosio Morales
Ambrosio Morales
Ambrosio de Morales was a historian. After his studies at the University of Salamanca and Alcalá, he took Holy orders. Soon he was elected to the chair of Belles-Lettres at Alcalá. In 1574 he was appointed chronicler of Castile and commissioned to continue Florián de Ocampo's Crónica General de...
, and traveled to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
at an early age (we find him in Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
in 1552).
For much of his life, Figueroa served as an aide to Spanish diplomats; for example, to the Spanish ambassador to France, Tomás Perrenot de Granvela (1559-61); Antonio Pimentel de Herrera, 6th Count of Benavente, Viceroy of Valencia (c. 1567); and Carlos de Aragón Tagliavia, Duke of Terranova, Prínce of Castelvetrano (1578-79).
In the late 1570s or early 1580s, Figueroa seems to have retired to Alcala. His friend Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. His magnum opus, Don Quixote, considered the first modern novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written...
includes him as a character in his pastoral novel La Galatea
La Galatea
La Galatea was Miguel de Cervantes’ first book, published in 1585.Under the guise of pastoral characters, it is an examination of love and contains many allusions to contemporary literary figures....
. Figueroa's works were published posthumously by Pedro Craesbeeck in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
in 1625.